This month we’re celebrating Disabled Access Day – a chance to raise awareness of the need for ease of access at public venues across the UK.
We understand that for many disabled people, accessibility goes far beyond the realms of simply being able to get in or out of a venue with ease; it’s about being independent, having freedom of choice, embarking on new experiences and living life to the absolute fullest.
Over the years, we’ve conducted plenty of research into accessibility at public venues, including the UK’s Top 100 Tourist Attractions, football stadiums and major high street stores.
We found many venues continue to fall short when it comes to being accessible. Take the high street for example – 84 per cent of disabled people and carers we asked said they had experienced problems with the accessibility of high street stores. 
 And, it isn’t just about the obvious moral obligation to make society a more accessible place; there is of course a financial incentive too.
With the spending power of disabled visitors and the so-called ‘Purple Pound’ being a market worth an estimated £212bn, it makes absolutely no sense that public venues still aren’t buying into the idea of becoming fully accessible. , at the risk of losing incredibly valuable revenue year on year.
I work for Revitalise – a charity that runs the Netley Waterside House respite holiday centre in Southampton, providing respite holidays for disabled people and their carers from around the South Coast region and beyond. As an organisation with over 50 years experience of supporting disabled people and their carers, we are resolute in our belief that society should be accessible to everyone.
To find out more visit revitalise.org.uk, or call 0303 303 0145.
Stephanie Stone
Revitalise